In a season that runs for 162 games, it is only the strongest and most talented teams that survive and make it to the postseason. Over the course of any given season, several teams will take a run at the top, but an inability to sustain that charge very usually leads to them slowly but surely falling off the pace. It is what we are seeing with the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East and, to a lesser extent, the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. Over in the West, it has been the Houston Astros who have kept their place at the top for an extended period of time, although the Texas Rangers and Oakland A’s have both taken a run at them.
While the A’s continue to hang in there, the Texas Rangers have fallen off the pace in a big way, with the rumors now suggesting that they will be in the mood to sell when the trade deadline rolls around. It will be these two who will hook up on Thursday night, with the Athletics looking to take advantage of the home field as a 1 ½ run favorite. The run total is set at 9 ½.
Rangers vs Athletics MLB Betting Lines & Game Analysis
- When: Thursday, July 25, at 10:07 PM EST
- Where: Alameda Coliseum, Oakland
- Starting Pitchers: Jurado vs. Anderson
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: SiriusXM
- MLB Odds: Oakland Athletics -185 (Total 9.5)
Twins vs White Sox MLB Odds, Game Info & Expert Pick
Why bet on the Texas Rangers?
For a while at the end of the first half of the season, it looked as though the Texas Rangers were about to make a serious run at the Astros, but that now seems like a distant memory. They have fallen apart in a big way, dropping down to 4th in the AL West after winning just once in their last 10 games. The talk is that they are going to be sellers at the deadline, with Mike Minor seeming the most likely to be shipped out.
It has certainly been a dramatic fall from grace for the Rangers, who are now 51-51 on the season, but a rather miserable 20-30 SU on the road. Texas is just 4-15 SU in their last 19 games versus the A’s and winless in their last 6 visits to Oakland. They will have Ariel Jurado (5-6, 4.92 ERA) on the mound on Thursday.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 5.27
- Hits: 8.54
- Walks: 3.42
- Strike Outs: 10.10
- Runs: 5.35
- Hits: 9.46
- Walks: 3.46
- Strike Outs: 8.57
Why bet on the Oakland A’s?
The Oakland A’s have been playing some fabulous baseball over the past couple of months, and while they have closed the gap on the Astros, they are finding that totally running them down is going to be a tough ask. Oakland is now sitting at 58-45 on the season but still, find themselves sitting 7 ½ games out of first place.
That is an awful lot of ground to make up, especially against a team as good as the Astros, but the positive to take out of this is that Oakland is in possession of the final Wild Card spot in the AL, although just a single game up on the chasing pack. The A’s are a solid 31-20 at home this season and have had the Rangers number in their own building. They will have Brett Anderson (9-5, 3.82 ERA) on the mound on Thursday night.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 5.16
- Hits: 8.55
- Walks: 3.31
- Strike Outs: 7.80
- Runs: 4.31
- Hits: 8.34
- Walks: 3.19
- Strike Outs: 7.65
How to Bet Tigers vs Mariners MLB Spread & Prediction
Rangers vs Athletics MLB Betting Trends
- Rangers are 4-15 SU in their last 19 games against Oakland
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Texas’ last 7 games on the road
- Athletics are 6-0 SU in their last 6 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 9 of Oakland’s last 12 games against Texas
- Athletics are 64-43 against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons
- Rangers are 51-51 against the money line in all games this season
- Jurado is 0-1 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 6.35 and a WHIP of 1.940
- Anderson is 3-4 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 4.54 and a WHIP of 1.411
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Rangers vs Athletics
The Rangers are a team that looks totally devoid of any confidence at the moment, and their cause will not be helped by a trip to Oakland, where they have routinely struggled. I like the A’s to win big here.
Score: Texas Rangers 2 – Oakland Athletics 7
